Third man arrested in case of men drilling into Plymouth parking machines

Arrest of third man after two others admit to drilling into Plymouth parking machines and stealing money

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Police investigating a series of thefts from parking machines have arrested a third man.

The 27-year-old was arrested after being found asleep in the back of a W-reg Audi A4 parked in Lockyer Street at around 2.30pm.

His arrest comes after two men – 23-year-old Daniel Ifrim and 22-year-old Alin Comanescu – appeared at Plymouth Magistrates Court yesterday morning where they pleaded guilty to a number of charges relating to the theft of money from parking machines in Plymouth, Canterbury and Worcester.

The pair were arrested early on Sunday morning in the civic centre car park after being spotted acting suspiciously by CCTV operators.

It is estimate they have caused “up to £40,000” damage to Plymouth parking machines during their spree, which saw them drill holes into the cash compartment.

The pair were remanded into custody and will appear for sentencing at Plymouth Crown Court on October 23.

Police say information gained from items found on Ifrim and Comanescu led them to identify a vehicle which they believe was linked to the series of parking machine breaks in recent days.

Staff from Plymouth City Council’s parking department were alerted and it is understood they spotted the car in Lockyer Street.

The man was found in the back seat asleep. Police also seized a number of items from the vehicle including three mobile phones and a battery for a cordless drill.

The 27-year-old, a Romanian national, was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to commit theft and is currently being held at Charles Cross police station.

Anyone with information about the matter is urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting log number 458 of 16/10/2017.